Steaming of webs of material



July 16, 1935.

W. W. SPOONER STEAMING OF WEBS OF MATERIAL Filed Jan. 12 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 nmj July 16, 1935. w. w. SPOONER STEAMING 0F WEBS OF MATERIAL Filed Jan. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fatented July 16, 1935 usrrso s'ra'rss earner orrlca Ap lication January 12, 1935, Serial No. 1,589 p In Great Britain June 6, 1933 8 Claims. (Cl. 2M8) I have filed application in England No. 16,138 dated June 6, 1933, and England No. 11,289 dated Apr. 14, 1934. l

The present invention relates to the steaming of materials, for instance, textile materials such as cloth for the purpose of conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the material without drying.

Steaming is a process which is frequently employcd particularly in the textile trade for various purposes, for instance, for imparting condition or weight to materials, or for the ageing of cotton cloth after printing.

The chief objects of the present invention'are is to accelerate the moistening or steaming process and to enable it to be carried out in an apparatus of relatively small bulk.

According to the present invention saturated or unsuperheated steam or water vapour is 20 caused to flow in a closed circuit through nozzles and on to the material and has head imparted thereto by mechanical means such as a fan during its circulation in said circuit in order to obtain a relatively high velocity of the steam 2 leaving the nozzles.

Thus, in order to obtain a relatively high velocity of the steam leaving the nozzles it is unnecessary to rely upon energy inherent in the steam itself.

Consequently, the same steam may be passed through the circuit a number of times without any reduction in the speed thereof leaving the nozzles and if desired exhaust or dead steam ma be employed.

The steam may be projected on to the material simultaneously on to both sides thereof, and at an angle thereto, that is non-parallel with the web and the steam speed may advantageously lie between 10 and 32 feet per second.

If desired, the speed of the steam may be rather lower than 10 feet per second, but then the steaming process would be correspondingly slower.

45 The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- i

Figure 1 is the diagrammatic view of a steamins apparatus.

50 Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of one form of construction similar to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary part-sectional plan view corresponding to Figure 2 and Figure 4 is a corresponding sectional elevation.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of another bers B, B. The pressure chambers 5, 6 have convergent nozzles {directed towards the web 3 at an angle thereto. It will be noted that the nozzles l are inclined towards the suction chambers 4 10 which have inlet openings 8 for the steam after its engagement with the web 3. The inlet of a fan 9 is shown diagrammatically in dotted lines and is connected to both suction chambers 4, the discharge to the fan being commonly connected with all the pressure chambers 5, 6, so that 4 the steam is caused to flow in a closed circuit through the fan to the pressure chambers through the nozzles on to the web and then back through the openings 8 into the suction chambers to the fan.

A suitable pipe it! leads into one of the suction chambers for supplying fresh steam to the circuit whilst a drain ii is provided for withdrawing condensate. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3 the fan i2 driven by a motor i3 is enclosed within a casing l4 extending over the ends of all of the suction and pressure chambers, the eye of the fan 9 communicating directly with the suction chambers 4, the fan plates being open 3 at their periphery to the casing i4 and communicating freely with the pressure chambers 5, 8.

The end nozzle la as shown inF'igure 4 has a steam heater pipe i5 secured thereto, preferably by soldering or brazing, so that the steam passing through the endnozzles is warmed to prevent condensation. It will be appreciated that condensation in the end nozzle 10. will permit drops of water to drip on to the material. Condensation in the lower nozzle is of no importance, as the drops of water would fall back through the nozzle and could be easily drained away.

The entrances to the upper nozzles 1a and 1b are enclosed by walls i6, I! which permit only a narrow passage for the steam into the nozzles, whereby a wire-drawing of the steam is set up,

which efl'ects a measure of drying to prevent condensation in the upper nozzles. As a further safeguard against condensation gilled heater tubes i8 are provided between the walls i6.

If desired, a single unit consisting of three chambers 5, 4, 6 may be employed for the treatment of one side only of a web, of material. Such chambers may be disposed on the underside of a web of material and heater pipes may be provided on the upper side of the web.

Figure 5 shows an arrangement in which a web 20 is guided by means of rollers 2|, 22, 28 through a chamber 24 so that two straight runs 25, 28 of the material are obtained. Three steam casings 21, 28, 29, having nozzles 30, 3|, 32 are connected by a duct 33 with the discharge side of a fan 34, the suction side of the fan 35 being connected with the chamber 24, whereby steam is projected by the fan into the casings and through the nozzles on to both sides of the web and is withdrawn in closed circuit by the fan to be re-proiected. A suitable drain it is provided for withdrawing condensate from the chamber 24 whilst a pipe 21 is provided for supplying fresh steam to the chamber. The arrangement shown in Figure 5 is particularly suitable for the ageing of cotton cloth. 7

In the ageing of cloth after printing it usually is not essential to steam both sides of the cloth as the cloth is printed on one side only although steaming on both sides is advantageous for the sake of the cooling effect which may be produced, partly by the steam velocity and partly by the fact that the steam temperature may be lower than the temperature of the chemical action which takes place on the cloth after printing.

In employing any of the constructions described trays may be inserted between the nozzles and the web should it be desired to prevent steaming on one side of the web or alternatively the nozzles may be arranged so as to treat one side only of the web.

In employing a construction similar to that shown in Figure 5, the cloth may be led into the chamber near the top and may be supported by rollers near the top only, being allowed to hang in a fold or folds from such rollers whereby the cloth engages on one side only with the rollers.

It will be appreciated that since the steam can be projected on to the" cloth at relatively high velocity a relatively great penetrative effect may be obtained, and furthermore, since the steam is continuously circulated through the apparatus, the possibility of condensed steam being deposited on the material is reduced.

Also the projection of steam on to the material at high velocity enables the material to be maintained in a, relatively cool condition and this is of particular value in connection with the ageing of cloth, as in certain cases the chemical action which is set up between the steam and the dyeing materials or the vehicles for such dyeing materials causes local high temperatures.

When the invention is employed for the purpose of heating without drying, the consumption of steam may be negligible so that the supply of fresh steam to the circuit may be very small. In this case the withdrawal of heat from the steam by the material may be considerable and heating means such as steam heating coils may be included in the circuit in order to maintain the temperature of the steam in circuit.

I declare that what I claim is:-

1. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the'same without drying, comprising a casing having nozzles in one wall thereof, a fan having its discharge connected with the inlet to said casing, whilst the suction side thereof communicates with the outlet side of said nozzles, means for supplying unsuperheated steam to said casing or to the fan and means IO? preventing condensation of water in said nozzles.

22. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the same without drying, comprising a fan, a pair of pressure chambers communicating with the discharge side of the fan and each having nozzles formed in one wall thereof for projecting saturated steam on to the material, a suction chamber communicating with the suction side of the fan and having an opening for the admission of steam thereto from said nozzles after engagement with the material, the nozzles of said pressure chamber being oppositely disposed towards the suction chamber and means for preventing condensation of water in said nozzles,

3. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the same without drying, comprising a fan for blowing saturated steam, a pair of suction chambers arranged face to face having openings in their opposed faces and connected with the suction side of the fan, two pairs of pressure chambers connected with the discharge side of the fan, the chambers of each pair being located on opposite sides of one of said suction chambers and having nozzles in one wall thereof opposed to nozzles in one wall of a pressure chamber of the other pair and means for preventing condensation of water in the upper of said nozzles.

4. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the same without drying, comprising a fan for blowing saturated steam, an upper suction chamber and a lower suction chamber both connected to the inlet of the fan and having opposed substantially horizontal apertured faces for the admission of steam thereto, two pairs of pressure chambers connected with the discharge side of the fan and having opposed horizontal faces provided with nozzles for the projection of steam on to opposite sides of the material, the chambers of each pair being located on opposite sides of a suction chamber and means for wire-drawing the steam entering the nozzles of the upper pressure chambers.

5. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the same without drying, comprising a fan for blowing saturated steam, an upper suction chamber and a lower suction chamber both connected to the inlet of the fan and having opposed substantially horizontally apertured faces for the admission of steam thereto, two pairs of pressure chambers connected with the discharge side of the fan and having opposed horizontal faces provided with nozzles for the projection of steam on to opposite sides of the material, the chambers of each pair being located on opposite sides of a suction chamber and means for warming the steam entering the nozzles of the upper pressure chambars.

6. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heating the same without drying, comprising a fan for blowing saturated steam, an upper suction chamber and a lower suction chamber both connected to the inlet of the fan and having opposed substantially horizontal apertured faces for the admission of steam thereto, two pairs of pressure chambers connected with the discharge side of the fan and having opposed horizontal faces pro vided with nozzles for the projectionof steam on to opposite sides of the material, the chambers of for blowing saturated steam, an upper suction chamber anda lower suction chamber both connected to the inlet of the fan and having opposed substantially horizontal apertured faces for the admission of steam thereto, two pairs of pressure chambers connected with the discharge side of the fan and having opposed horizontal faces provided with nozzles for the projection of steam on to opposite sides of the material, the chambers of each pair being located on opposite sides or a suction chamber and a steam pipe connected in heat conducting relationship with the outermost nozzles of the upper pressure chambers.

8. Apparatus for the steaming of materials for conditioning or moistening the same or for heatingthe same without drying, comprising a tan, a'pair of pressure chambers communicating with the discharge side of the Ian and each having nozzles formed in one wall thereof for projecting saturatedsteam on to the material, a suction chem [her communicating with; the suction side oi the fan and having an opening for the admission of steam thereto from said nozzles after engagement with the material, the nozzles of said pressure chamber being oppositely disposed towards the suctionchamber and a steam pipe connected in heat conducting relationship with at least one of the nozzles of the pressure chambers.

WILLIAM WYCLIFFE SPOONER. 

